Signaling device



Aug. 15, 1944. L. F. HAMMAND SIGNALING DEVICE Filed Nov. 29. 1941 a ,Patented Aug. 15, 1944 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE sloNALrNG DEVICE Lowell F. Hammdnd,`Washington, D. C. Application November 29, 1941, Serial No. 420,969 (ci. 11s-109' p u `(Granted nnderine et of March s, lass, s l amended April 3o, 192s; 31o o. G. 151) 1 claim.

'I'hey invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without vthe payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The present invention relates to gasoline disloads, and of such size and shape that they may be easily concealed in locations spaced apart pensing equipment and more particularly to a i novel and improved form of signaling device having van audible signal to `indicate the level of the `liquid in the container being filled. v

(me ofthe principal objects of'this invention is to provide a signaling `nozzle including `a tone `producing structure so arranged and constructed that an audible sound is emitted throughout the perlodof time in which Athe containerfis being filled. Thetermination-of the audible tone inditone chamber and a vibrating reed, together with means for rendering `the signal inoperative when the' levelof the liquid inthe container being Vnlled reaches a predetermined level. i

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved audible signal indicator of such de- E sign and construction as to be operative within ,from each other,` so that they will not present such a vulnerable target to thek enemy. These Yindividual containersare filled from larger tanks be apparent that some means must be provided wide limits of rate of flow and pressure, in order` r to be equally well adapted for use with liquids close the-valve before the container being filled overflows. Y

It is also believed to be pertinent `to point out that in modern military operations, the use of large stationary or movable gasoline tanks in combat operations is frowned on for the reason that any large container becomes an-obviousvv target foi/enemy aircraft attack or artillery bombardment. It is the'present preferred military 'practice to refuei tanks, aircraft or other combat vehicles from Arelatively small metal con- /tainers shipped into the battle zone lby truck for filling `such small containers-so that large numbers of them may be quickly filled to the desired level without danger of overflow. It should not be overlooked, however. that the rough treatment and abuse that military equipment of this character necessarily receives, prevents the use `of any structure except the most rugged and simple available. Also. since operations of the` character described are preferably carried .out

. in absolute darkness. ordinary visual types of be utilized in connection with standard gasoline dispensing equipment'of conventional design and proven merit, and to avoid 'any necessity of special tooling or the construction of any`complicatedv type of apparatus, the signal indicator device is designed and constructed so that it may "be applied to a conventional .dispensing nozzle. either permanently or temporarily, and without requiring any substantial changes indesign of the nozzle structure. In the present invention the signaling devices are provided in a separate nozzle conversion unit so arranged and con- 'structed' that it may be instantly applied to any of the standard forms of nozzles now adapt-4 u predetermined level so that he may manually shut off the fuel flow in time to prevent overilow.

In the drawing, the numeral II indicates a gasoline dispensing valve body, which is provided with a spout I2 secured to the body II by the threaded nut I3. The valve body II also includes a valve seat. arranged to separate the inlet passageway from the discharge passageway. The valve seat is normally closed by a valve at the upper end of the valve stem I8 and normally urged downwardly into engagement with the valve seat by a compression spring in the conventional manner.

An operating handle 22 and link 23 are pivotallyl mounted at the .forward end of the handle guard 24 so that the operator may grasp the handle 22 to force the valve stem I8 inwardly and lift the valve from the seat to permit the liquid to iiow through the discharge passageway and outwardly through the lower end of the spout I2.

The structures thus far described are entirely conventional and well-known vin the art, and since they do not form a pertinent part of this invention except in connection with the structure to behereinafter described, they willY not be mentioned in greater detail in this applicaion.

The audible signal conversion unit consists of Ia stopper body 26 drilled with alarge cylindrical opening 21 through which the spout I2 of the nozzle extends. A setscrew 28 is threaded into the stopper body, to secure the stopper in position on the spout. The stopper body 26 is preferably formed of metal and is arranged to include an annular flange 29 and a neck portion '3i terminating in a small lip 32 arranged to maintain-a resilient gasket 33 in position on the neck. The resilient gasket is preferably provided with an angularly inclined sealing surface of size and shape to rmly engage the inner walls ofthe mouth of a sheet metal fuel container 35.. As illustrated, the container 35 constitutes a standardized type of ve-gallon fuel. container from which Army vehicles are customariiyrefueled in the field. f

The stopper body is drilled with a bore 31 to receive a downwardly extending thick-walled tube 42 which extends downwardly parallel to and closely adjacent the spout of the dispensing nozzle. The lower end of the tube 42 is closed by a plug 43 and is preferably beveled'at an an-` gle of about 45 degrees tofacilitate entry of the signaling structure into the mouth of the container. The walls of the tube42 are oiv suilicient thickness to provide extreme strength and no auxiliary supporting means are ordinarily required, but if desired the lower extremity of the tube may be welded to the dispensing spout as indicated at 44. The tube 42 is milled at $5 to provide a flat portion between the body of the tube and the spout, and a somewhat shorter milled opening 46 is provided so that a vibrating metallic reed 41 may -be welded or otherwise secured to the fiat portion 45 at the point 43 and may extend downwardly so that its free end overlies the milled opening 46. One or more vent ports 48 are provided in the tube Walls immediately below the lower portion of the stopper lug body.

against the flow of air. Thus, as the liquid enters the container through the spout of the nozzle, the air trapped within the container will be forced outwardly through the passageway 46 and the port 49, and thence upwardly through the tube 42 to the atmosphere. The vent ports 49 vwill be understood to bek of such dimensions that during the normal flow of liquid into the container they will not entirely relieve the air pressure existing inside of the container mouth so that even though the vent ports .are completely open a certain amount of air will flow inwardly past the rvibrating reed 41, and through the passageway 46. This ow of air will move the reed and cause it to vibrate, Aso as to emit a signal tone that is audible to the operator.

As the liquid level within the container rises, it will finally submerge the reed 41 and prevent the vibratory movement of the reed, thus silencing the signal. At this time the port 49 will remain open to the air in the container, however,

. and will permit the egress of air so that pressure within the container will not build up to -any point suicient to damage the reed. The

signal emits a continuous audible tone as long as the liquid is flowing into the container. The cessation of the signal tone indicates that the predetermined liquid level has been reached so that the operator may manually close the nozzle valve.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that by practicing the teachings of the present invention it is possible to provide a highly satisfactory signal indicating nozzle of extremely simple construction capable ofentirely satisfactoryoperation even under the most adverse circumstances of use. It will be noted, of course, that the entire nozzle structure may be of conventional design and construction and the indicating features included by the simple addition of a few comparatively inexpensive parts. In military operations, the indicator lhere disclosed Iis of particularly desirable construction since it is sim-- ple in construction and operation, and can be subjectedv to greatk abuse without damage. In this connection, it will be noted that the entire stopper body and particularly the whistle structure is quite well protected against accidental damage, since it lies closely adjacent the threaded nut I3 of the nozzle and is close to the nozzle handle guard 24 so that a line drawn between the lower extremity of the nozzle I2 and the guard 24 will not intercept any portion of the stopper body construction. This, of course, means that the stopper is not apt to be damaged by b eing dropped on the ground or even against steel or concrete surfaces. since the force of any accidental impact will be more apt to be delivered tothe nozzle I2 or the guard 24. The reed 41 is well protected by its position between the tube 42 and the spout I2, and also by the side shoulders 5I and 52 on opposite sides of the milled portion 4 5. Further, the' conventional type oi nozzle may be altered to provide a warning sig- Anal without making any changes in its inherent design. It will also be appreciated that the signal is entirely positive in operation, since the medium by which it is operated is the air entrapped within a closed container and this flow may be depended upon since it is utterly impossible to flll the container with liquid without causing the corresponding discharge of air, so that the operation of the signal device is entirely independent of the pressure at which the iuel is admitted to the nozzle. 'I'herate of flow of the fuel may also vary within wide limits with# out affecting the emcency of the device, since with the signal constructed as illustrated in the drawing a comparatively small rate of flow will emit a distinctly audible signal and the ow may be greatly increased withoutmaterially affecting the operation of the device. i,

I haveshown and described the present invention in the preferred formas` developed for military purposes. I am, however, aware that it is subject to numerous alterations and modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention and `I, therefore, do not wish to be limited except as by the scope of the appended claim. i v

I claim: f

A signal devicefor indicating a. predetermined level of liquid in a container, comprising a body adapted for temporary application to the filling orifice of a container, said body having an opening therethrough for the passage of a pouring nozzle, and a tube extending into the receptacle provided with a passage opening to the atmosphere through the upper end of the tube and a port communicating with the interior of the container, said tube having an elongated slot in one side thereof and a vibrating reed attached at one end to said tube and extending over said slot and adapted to be vibrated by a part of the air passing from the container as it is being filled, to emit an audible sound, said tube and reed being positioned to be enveloped by the liquid when the same hasreached the desired level in the container, to prevent further vibration of the reed and thereby silence the same.

i LOWELL F. HAMMAND. 

